Ten years since its last edition, the Champions League T20, affectionately known as CLT20 among cricket fans, could be back, Nick Cummins – CEO of Cricket Victoria has hinted. The game’s three biggest governing bodies – the BCCI, the ECB and the CA – have started talks to revive the competition, which Nick says is ahead of its time. The only challenge, however, is finding a window for it.
Cummins said the T20 landscape was not mature 10 years ago but it is now, adding that a women’s CLT20 could also be introduced for the first time.
“I think the Champions League was ahead of its time. The T20 landscape wasn’t mature enough then. I think it is now,” Cummins said on the sidelines of Tuesday’s event in Mumbai.
“I know there is an active conversation between Cricket Australia, the ECB and the BCCI about the Champions League.”
“They’re just trying to find a window when you’re actually playing it because you’ve got all the ICC tournaments as well. It could be that the first iteration of the Champions League will be for women… [it] could include cricketers.” play in the] WPL, Hundred and WBBL,” added Cummins.
Meanwhile, the introduction of the CLT20 raised quite a few eyebrows with six editions successfully held between 2009 and 2014, four times in India and twice in South Africa. Indian Premier League defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the last edition against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Bengaluru in 2014.
At that time, the competition included three teams from India, two each from Australia and South Africa, and one each from Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand.
While CSK and Mumbai Indians (MI) have won the tournament twice, New South Wales and Sydney Sixers have won it on the remaining two occasions.
